Where to Find the Best Auto Auctions in Sacramento

Auto auctions are a smart choice to explore when looking to buy a quality vehicle at a reasonable price. Sacramento, California’s capital, offers an array of auto auctions, each with a unique mix of vehicles and bidding protocols.

It’s not hard to find auto auctions in Sacramento, CA. The city and its surrounding areas host various types of auctions, including government surplus auctions, police auctions, insurance auctions, and private dealer auctions.

Defining the best auto auction ultimately comes down to finding and bidding on the vehicle on your list of favorite cars.

Tips for Bidding on Auction Cars

Some tips to remember before you bid to help you get the car you want for the right price:

• Research the car’s value from Edmunds or Kelley Blue Book;
• Find out everything you can about the make and model’s common problems;
• Check out what the same car is selling for by the owner;
• Learn how much the auction fees will be in advance;
• Find out how much it will cost you to transport the car;
• Make a budget and stick to it;
• Don’t get caught up in the excitement of the auction; there will be other cars;
• Walk away when the bidding gets too high.

If you remember these tips when you get ready to bid, you can keep your costs down and get a good deal on a vehicle.

Some of the cars that you might find at auction include:

• High mileage cars
• Wrecked cars
• Government surplus cars and trucks
• Repossessions
• Salvage vehicles
• Rare cars
• High-end cars
• Motorcycles
• RVs
• Trucks
• Boats
• and more

Here are some of Sacramento‘s auto auctions that you may want to consider.

Brasher’s Sacramento Auto Auction

Brasher’s Sacramento Auto Auction is a very popular auction. As a part of the ADESA group, this auction house provides an extensive selection of vehicles, from everyday cars to rare and high-end automobiles. It was started in 1956 by the Loupe family as a small two-lane auction until it was sold to the Brasher family in 1978. It’s now 16 lanes and located on 100 acres. While most auctions are dealer-only, they do hold monthly G.S.A. (government surplus auctions) public auctions where anyone can bid.

SCA Auctions

The Sacramento branch of the SCA Auction is located in Cordova, CA. SCA Auctions are leaders in the insurance auto auction industry in North America. They have 170 locations nationwide and work with insurance companies, dealerships, rental car companies, and more to deliver various vehicles that you can bid on. They are open to the public, so you don’t need a dealer license to bid, and you can bid online from the comfort of your own home. While hundreds of cars run through the Sacramento site, you can bid from any of their locations across the country.

Capital City Auto Auction

Capital City Auto Auction is another top-rated auto auction site in Sacramento, specializing in dealer consignments. You’ll find all types of vehicles here, including cars, SUVs, and even commercial trucks. Capital City also supports online bidding, making it convenient for those who prefer to participate remotely.

Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA)

IAA specializes in salvage auto auctions, dealing primarily in vehicles recovered from insurance claims, such as those that were involved in accidents or flood damage. These vehicles will need repairs, but the repairs are probably cheaper than if you bought the car at a dealership. If you are mechanically inclined or willing to invest in repairs, IAA can be a treasure trove of value.

Before you sit down to bid, review the tip list and ensure that you understand how much the vehicle will cost. Other fees include taxes, title, buyer’s fee, and other expenses to consider when putting your budget together. When you find an auction site with the car you like, read over their policies carefully to learn how they operate and how you will pay for the car.

Final Thoughts

Auction listings will list the equipment and any problems with the car that they’re selling, so read over each listing carefully. The listing will have photos, which will show whether the vehicle is damaged and how badly. If an insurance company is selling the car, it may have some damage to it. Sometimes the damage is minimal and is something you can fix or have fixed for little money. You might even find an insurance car with minimal damage that the owner didn’t want to fix, which could be a great deal for you.

If you’ve never bid online on cars, watch a few auctions first to learn how they operate and what to expect. Watching other auctions will help you be more comfortable once you’re ready to bid on your vehicle.

Since Sacramento offers a variety of auto auctions, chances are you’ll find the car you want. The most important thing to remember is to have fun; bidding on auction cars can be exciting.